Happy Feet 2 starts off on a happy foot (pun intended!) with a grand opening montage of dancing and singing penguins. This film had us tapping our feet and singing to surprisingly cross generational selection of songs covered in the film. Mumbles (voiced by Elijah Wood) is now an adult penguin with a family of his own. His wife Gloria (Pink) is one of the most beautiful female penguins with an amazing voice who tries to foster a more positive relationship between Mumbles and their little penguin, Erik (EG Daly) who finds himself without “happy feet” and rather clumsy.

The message is the same, don’t be afraid to be different, and always put your friends and family first. However, the story bounces back and forth between the penguins plight of being trapped by newly formed avalanches, and their reliance on other penguin tribes, and a krill’s quest for independence and evolution. Bill the Krill (Matt Damon) and Will the Krill (Brad Pitt) added some of my favorite parts, with witty dialogue and fun bantering. The addition of these new characters and a puffin named Sven (Hank Azaria) certainly mixed things up a bit. However Sven’s accent left my 7 year old asking, “What did he say? He sounds weird!”

The music was fun, the energy was cool, and overall I was surprised that I liked the sequel just as much as the original, especially in 3D.

When I first heard that the fourth installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean” is over two hours, I was non-plussed, having never really been a fan of the series and finding the movies average at best. However I found the 140 minute film to move rather quickly and was nonetheless entertained by the adventure, action, and comedy.

The film opens in Spain, where a man who has been pulled from a fishing net clutches a journal he claims contains a map to the Fountain of Youth. The British get wind of this discovery and immediately pull a crew together to recover it led by none other than Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), Captain Jack Sparrow’s arch nemesis, now sporting a powdered wig, a wooden leg, and new digs.

Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) is in London to hire a crew for a new expedition. But when he finds out that someone has usurped his name and reputation, he’s rather upset. It turns out to be a woman with a grudge from his past, Angelica (Penelope Cruz), the daughter of Blackbeard (Ian McShane), and Jack is forced to board the ship Queen Anne’s Revenge to help Blackbeard find the Fountain first to overturn a prophesy of Blackbeard’s early demise. Try as they might (and they did try) there is little chemistry between Cruz and Depp. The flirtatious banter between the two was disappointing, but Cruz easily replaced Kiera Knightley as the nautically minded female lead and also managed to make Jack Sparrow no longer sexually ambivalent. This was hardly a high seas adventure, as most of the film takes place on land.

In order for the Fountain of Youth’s water to add years to one’s life, two silver chalices and a tear from a mermaid are needed. The quest for these items, and the location of the Fountain, make up the simple story. The film takes a rather awesome departure from the traditional view of mermaids, as these beauties turn out to be beastly sailor feasting creatures! Probably the coolest scene in the movie is when they attack and bring down an entire ship.

Keith Richards returns as Sparrow’s dad for a brief appearance, and the series is refreshed by new characters, a bible-wielding hunky priest (Sam Claflin), the captured mermaid Serena, and of course Blackbeard and Angelica. Depp is his usual mincing self, and Cruz is Spanish and feisty. The film has all the action, scheming and double crossing you would expect from a “Pirates” movie, and for the fourth in a series, it wasn’t disappointing . . . but it wasn’t exactly thrilling either.

The vibrant film inspires viewers to fly and be free!

Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) is a rare breed of macaw that is adopted at a young age by a little girl, Linda after being kidnapped from his birth place Rio de Janeiro. Because he was domesticated in the small town of Moose Lake, Minnesota, Blu never learned to fly. Blu and Linda spend their days in Linda’s book shop and lead a pretty simple life, until one day a bird expert, Tulio from Rio de Janeiro visits seeking the rare macaw male in hopes to breed him with the only known existing female of their kind. Blu is less than thrilled to make the journey, as he is perfectly happy in his cozy home. Linda takes the trip to Brazil with Blu and he is introduced to the only female blue macaw, Jewel (Anne Hathaway). Jewel is attractive, sassy, and independent. She is too busy trying to escape the sanctuary when Blu meets her, and is desperately attempting to get away from the cage she lives in which makes Blu ponder if there’s a lot more to life.

Their escape, however, immediately leads to capture by greedy poachers. The story then follows their journey to free themselves from the chains that tie them together. Along the way they meet other helpful birds Rafael the Tucan (George Lopez), Pedro (Will.i.Am), Nico (Jamie Foxx), and a slobbering bull dog (Tracy Morgan) who all bring variety and comedy to the film. The adventure is wildly entertaining as the animation is visually spectacular, with vibrant colors and a villainous cockatoo named Nigel (Jermaine Clement). I loved all of the characters, but Blu and Jewel were the starring favorites. Linda and Tulio were quirky love birds (pun intended) who added a nice element to the picture.

The film delights children of all ages- Harlan (our resident aged 6½ film critic) was giggling at the fumbling birds and was captivated the entire film. He simply loved it, and other children in the theater seemed to be happily entertained. The plot was family friendly and easy enough for the little ones to follow.

See Rio for a colorful pick me up!

Full of action and wit, Rango delights with western-movie nostalgia with a modern day twist. A chameleon that aspires to be a swashbuckling hero finds himself in a Western town plagued by bandits and is forced to literally play the role in order to protect it.

Written by John Logan
Directed by Gore Verbinski

The film opens with a mariachi band of owls as the narrators, which immediately made me nervous that this could be similar to the awful Legend of the Guardian’s film. Fortunately, there is only one comparison- the gritty animation.

Rango is a fascinating tale of a small chameleon unexpectedly tossed from his small theatrical glass box into the dessert. This is no ordinary lizard- for he is an aspiring thespian. Once thrust upon a small town in the desert “Dirt,” Rango is now free to become the character of his choosing. He decides to dazzle his new found desert friends with tales of danger and adventure, and reinvents himself to be the rough riding cowboy from the far west.

There’s a hilarious scene where Rango accidentally sets fire to the town’s bully by the name of Bad Bill, and somehow manages to pull off the tough guy image. He lies his way into becoming the Town’s new hero and Sheriff. Things go well for a short time- but when someone steals the town’s water supply, his true heroism is put to the test. Rango tangles with a hawk, a terrifying rattler, and a battalion of bat riding mole-rats. The story is surprising, and the writing is incredibly creative, with inventive dialogue and witty humor. Johnny Depp’s personality shines through the little lizard in a way that parallels the eccentric Jack Sparrow. The movie posters tout “Johnny Depp IS Rango.” And they’re right.  This colorful character was playful and childlike- and he accomplishes this purely through his voice.

Isla Fisher voices the strong-willed lizard named Beans, who is determined to keep her father’s ranch, currently sought after by the Town’s mayor for his own financial gain. Beans suffers from an overactive spastic lizard “freeze”, which is a defense mechanism all lizards have, however Bean’s seems to occur randomly and in mid-sentence. This lovable lizard speaks with a southern drawl and piques Rango’s interest as they work together to solve the town’s water supply mystery.

I couldn’t honestly tell you that the characters were charming in this animated tale – in fact the astonishing realness of some of the creatures was at times very distracting. The close up shots of the hair on the mole, and the character’s rotting teeth sets this animated film far apart from Pixar or Disney animations with sparkling canines. The town is full of dusty dessert creatures; reptiles, rodents, and birds giving the animation a gritty sheen. The voices of Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Stephen Root, and Ray Winstone among others add depth to the solid animation and development of the characters.

While this film is fun for adults, I would strongly advise getting a babysitter for any kids younger than 10. The action and grit could be a bit much for younger children, and the scenes with the menacing rattlesnake are intense and could be scary to even an 8 year old.

Go see Rango- you’ll be wildly entertained!

Look out superheroes, the villains are taking center stage.

***More despicable pictures, here***

Gru, voiced by Steve Carell with a very weird, and sometimes difficult to understand Slavic accent, prides himself on being the world’s most villainous thief along with a resident evil scientist, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) and his myriads of minions. That is, until a little healthy competition comes along. When a new rival villain, Vector (Jason Segel) steals the Great Pyramid of Giza, hides it in his backyard, and replaces it with an inflatable replica, Gru realizes he must do something even more spectacular and plots to steal the moon.

After funding for his evil scheme is denied by the Bank of Evil (“formerly Lehman Brothers”, the movie’s best laugh) due to Gru’s history of heists which have been more costly than financially rewarding, Gru sets off to steal the Shrink Ray prototype, not yet perfected, from his new nemesis in order to shrink the moon and bring it back to earth . . .  bringing the world to its knees.

Unfortunately, penetrating Vector’s laboratory proves to be impossible, until he observes Vector purchasing Miss Hattie’s cookies from three orphans, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher) who are peddled out by the Home for Girls’ Miss Hattie (Kristen Wiig) to sell cookies door to door. Gru seizes the opportunity to gain entry to Vector’s lab through their cookies and adopts the adorable trio.

Gru has little interest in the girls, but after some time the children help Gru discover his sensitive side through their demands for him to read bedtime stories, and flashbacks to his childhood reveal Gru’s mommy issues. Gru’s scheming and crazy plans are really just his attempts to make his mother proud of him. (how original)

This transformation story is funny, with one gag after another. The yellow pill-shaped minions provide most of the comic relief similar to the penguins in Madagascar. So many elements of the movie are reminiscent of Up, The Incredibles, Monsters vs. Aliens, and other recent films, making Despicable Me seem far less inventive than the story really is.  Despicable Me is tolerable, hardly the children’s spy thriller it could have been, and not as funny as the previews might suggest, but overall it would suit if you were looking for a few (and I do mean few) laughs on a rainy day at the theater, and of course you’ve already seen Toy Story 3.

Three reviews to choose from!

For an up and coming critic from the Windy City – just click Limacher or on Jacob’s pic.

Or a no-nonsense mom about town –  just click Starshine or Bella’s pic. 

Finally, for an uber cynic - just click H-Man or on Edward’s

Who got it right?  Let the battle commence!

The Best “Toy Story”, hands down.

***Need more toys?, click here or on the image above.***

The gang returns with the classic favorites, Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), the Potato Heads, Jessie, Bullseye, Rex, Hamm, and we meet a few new toys as well. We FINALLY get to see Barbie and Ken (sorry, but Little Bo Peep, while Woody’s romantic interest, just didn’t cut it for me!), and a few other classics, like the chatter telephone on a string and an over sized baby doll named Big Baby, who was a little more than creepy…more on that later.

Its been 15 years since the first Toy Story adventure and Andy has grown up and is heading off to college. As he packs his room up, he needs to decide what to do with all of his toys, which he has not played with in years. His mom gives him several boxes, some to be taken to college, others for the attic, and a trash bag. She also suggests that his younger sister should start cleaning up her room, but her toys are destined for Sunnyside, the local day care center.

Andy selects Woody as the only toy to accompany him to college and puts all of the others in a bag to be stored in the attic.The bag of toys is mistakenly taken out to the trash and after being rescued by Woody, the toys decide that it would be better to go to the day care center where they’ll be played with by other children instead of collecting dust in the attic. Woody inadvertently ends up in the box with them and they all find themselves being donated to Sunnyside.

Sunnyside appears to be a toy’s paradise for the gang. They are greeted by the day care’s leader, Lots-o-Huggin’ Bear (voice of Ned Beatty), an over sized purple bear who smells like strawberries.  (I was reminded of my Strawberry Shortcake doll who also smelled of strawberries – of course I couldn’t smell Lots-o-Huggin).  But there is more to the fragrant bear than first impressions would have you believe, he is a tyrant, dictator of the center who has created a pyramid of control over Sunnyside.

The toys prepare for a great escape with Woody leading the caper. The purple bear finds out about the plot and sentences the toys to the “Catepillar” room  – with children too young to appreciate the gang’s playing ability. Jessie is used as a paintbrush, Rex is pulled apart, and the toys are tossed about like sand in the sandbox. Buzz requests a transfer to the “Butterfly” room with Lots-O and the other, more tenured toys, only to find out that the gang must “pay their dues.”  Lots-O allows Buzz into the fold, but there is a terrible price to pay, and even Barbie is kicked out of Ken’s Dream House.

Meanwhile, on the way to Andy’s house to arrange for the escape, Woody is swooped up by a little girl who brings him home with her.  She has toys of her own, Trixie, a vivacious triceratops, Buttercup, a friendly unicorn, and Mr. Pricklepants, a thespian hedgehog (voice of Timothy Dalton). But when Woody’s new friends find out that Woody escaped from Sunnyside, they are shocked…no one escapes from Sunnyside! Woody realizes his friends are in trouble and sneaks in the little girl’s backpack to get back to Sunnyside. Plans for the great escape get underway and the gang pulls together to outsmart Lots-O and his gang of toy thugs.

The comedy in this movie is inventive and balances out the mischievous action. Buzz expands his role as a Latin lover, speaking Spanish and dancing around while trying to woo Barbie, and the ascot sporting Ken (voiced by Michael Keaton) stole the show with his “Ken Dream House” and large collection of authentic vintage clothing. (As the daughter of an avid Barbie collector, I actually remembered some of the outfits that are worth a pretty penny in the collector’s arena, and it was fun to see some of the real life outfits on Ken in the fashion show scene!)

However there is a darker side to the film, as expected. Instead of Zorg, or an evil Toy Collector, there is Lots-O. We learn that the once friendly and cuddly bear turned sour after being forgotten, along with Big Baby and a clown, at a picnic by his former owner. Hungry for power and control of Sunnyside, he has created a prison for all of the toys inside, complete with a high tech security system, guards, and an all seeing monkey who monitors the security cameras. All of which create the challenges to the great escape for our gang of toys.

And then there is Big Baby. Big Baby is an over sized damaged infant doll with a droopy eye who is the muscle of the gang. While the film did a decent job of trying to keep this toy as a fairly Disney-friendly villain…it border-lined something you’d see in Chucky or some kind of horror film. Even the clown wasn’t as scary looking as Big Baby.

The 3D film surpassed its 2D counterparts and I would highly recommend it to the kid inside of everyone. Directed by Lee Unkrich (co-director of “Toy Story 2” and “Finding Nemo”), produced by Pixar, and written by Academy-Award winning screenwriter Michael Arndt, Toy Story 3 is hysterical adventure the whole family will enjoy (preferably in 3D).

Why not share some wonderful toys?

Monday, June 14th-June 30th from 9:30AM-6:30PM at
Miami Seaquarium
4400 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, Fl 33149

The  loveable Great Dane, Marmaduke  from the long running comic strip debuts on the big screen in John Davis’s latest animal adventure. Marmaduke is cut from the same cloth as Garfield, his comic strip adaption from 2004, yet his personality is not nearly as endearing as Garfield’s. To pitch the idea to Fox, Davis put a Great Dane inside a Mini Cooper- the dog was so big that its head stuck prominently through the sunroof- and parked it outside the office of the studio chairman Tom Rothman.

Marmaduke features the voice of Owen Wilson, despite the fact that Marmaduke is one of the few comic strip animals that never spoke. The film also includes the voice talents of George Lopez, Fergie, Emma Stone, Jeremy Piven, and Steve Coogan.

Marmaduke plays a large part in his human family’s life, but when the Winslows (Lee Pace and Judy Greer) move from Kansas to Orange County, the teenage canine joins the crowd at the dog park and discovers that fitting in with his new pals is going to be a challenge.

The dog park social scene plays out much like a typical American High School with all of the accompanying cliques. A Mutts vs. Pedigrees turf war ignites, leaving Marmaduke to choose between impressing the beautiful Collie, Mazie, who is dating the top dog alpha male of the park, and his new found friends who are less than popular, all while trying to help his human family transition through the new move.

In the film’s other plot line, Marmaduke’s owner Phil is trying to make an impression as the new marketing director for a pet food company run by an eccentric pet lover, played by William H. Macy. Phil is torn between work and family life until Marmaduke goes missing…at which time the family pulls together to save the day in a whirlwind rescue of the supersize dog.

The kids will love the crude potty humor and Marmaduke’s antics, but the canine romantic triangle side plot was unnecessary and the writers could have done a better job integrating the human family into Marmaduke’s world. The film would mostly be benefited by Marmaduke not talking period. Overall it was entertaining for the kids, and I would recommend the movie to all canine lovers.

This action packed 3-D animated film, Jerry Bruckheimer’s first, is centered on an elite squad of highly trained, genetically engineered guinea pigs voiced by Tracy Morgan (Blaster), Sam Rockwell (Darwin), and Penelope Cruz (Juarez) and Speckles, a mole voiced by Nicolas Cage. Zach Galifianakis stars as the scientist who is about to lose his Homeland Security grant for turning wildlife into special agents.

Despite the threats from FBI special agent Kip Killian, played by Will Arnett, this unusual group of FBI special agents is determined to defeat the evil entrepreneur Saber’s (Bill Nighy) plans for world denomination through evil coffee makers. (yes, coffee makers)

While the fur-balls have plenty of personality, the subplot surrounding the shutting down of G Force’s unit is weak, the film had plenty of plot holes, bad ethnic stereotypes, and lacks the clever warmth delivered by Disney’s last film, Up. That being said – my 5 year old had to see it twice. Must be the talking guinea pigs . . .

I honestly didn’t know how Pixar could top their first 9 films (including Cars & Wall E) until seeing “Up.” As the first animated film to premier at Cannes, “Up” exceeded my expectations. Once again Pete Docter (Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc.”) and co-director and writer Bob Peterson deliver characters with depth who inspire imagination, and take us on a journey which ultimately stresses the importance of friendship and values.

Carl Frederickson is a quiet, shy boy who hungers for adventure. His childhood role model, Charles Muntz (voiced by Christopher Plummer), is portrayed in newsreel footage in the opening of Up. His hero, however is shamed when the scientific community calls him a fraud for not supplying evidence of a rare bird Muntz claims to have discovered in South America.

Young Carl meets his wife, Ellie, a fellow Muntz fan and aspiring adventurer, in an abandoned shack she has turned into her own “clubhouse” and together they grow up to share the dream of traveling to Paradise Falls in South America for their own adventure. Their lives are shared in a poignant montage in just a few minutes with Michael Giacchino’s wistful score.

Now 78, Carl holds on to the home he and Ellie shared their lives in and becomes obsessed with keeping everything in tact.  As time goes on, city developers have bought all of the land surrounding the house and want to eliminate Carl’s home from the scene.  Facing eviction to a retirement community, Carl, a former balloon sales man, concocts a plan to escape.

Enter- Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai)- a tubby 8 year old Wilderness Explorer from Tribe 54, Sweat Lodge 12 who knocks on Carl’s door in hopes of earning an “Assisting the Elderly” badge to be promoted to Senior Wilderness Explorer. After the cantankerous Carl dismisses Russell with a phony project to “assist” him with, Carl gets to work on blowing up thousands of helium balloons and attaching them to his house to fly away to Paradise Falls. The next morning he puts his plan to action . . . except for one thing- he has an unexpected passenger, Russell.

An incredible adventure in South America unfolds as the two seek out the elusive bird, accompanied by Dug, a friendly talking dog (thanks to a high tech collar) who lives in the wilds of Paradise Falls.  Surprises abound as the three travelers discover their common-bond, a love for adventure and a passion for the undiscovered.

The back bone of the film is the relationship between Carl and Russell and their journey provides ample heart, sorrow, and adventure. The non-traditional 78 year old hero is endearing and lovable, while the animated animals’ antics make it a hit for the kids. Expect “Up” to lift your spirits and cheer you UP.